Fools Rush In
by Reetinkerbell
Summary: April Fool's Day has arrived, and Bella comes up with the best joke ever to play on Edward's brother. Things don't go according to plan, but end up so much better. AU Human.


**Title**: Fools Rush In  
><strong>Fandom<strong>: Twilight Series  
><strong>Characters<strong>: Edward, Bella. **Pairing**: Edward/Bella.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: April Fool's Day has arrived, and Bella comes up with the best joke ever to play on Edward's brother. Things don't go according to plan, but end up so much better.  
><strong>Rating<strong>: PG-13  
><strong>Word<strong> **Count**: 2 949  
><strong>Spoilers<strong>: AU Human.  
><strong>Author's<strong> **Note**: Thanks as always to my beta, **shagmedraco**.**  
>Distribution<strong>: Link only please.**  
>Written<strong>: March 2012.

**Fools Rush In (1/1)**

Edward played with Bella's left hand, twirling the sparkling ring she wore. The ring he'd only been allowed to place on her finger hours before. She lay sleeping now, her naked shoulder peeking out from underneath the sheet that covered them both as she lay on her side, facing him. One of her legs was thrown over one of his, her bent knee folding over his straight one and her foot curved around his shin. Her ring-bearing hand rested between them on the large pillow they shared.

She breathed calmly, deep in sleep, and though Edward was tired also, he couldn't close his eyes against the sight of her; afraid that when he opened them again in the morning, her acceptance would just have been another dream. Or worse, that Bella would've changed her mind upon deeper reflection.

Her breathing hitched and she shifted on the mattress, moving her leg away from him, before she settled back down, murmuring his name. A lock of her dark hair had fallen as she'd moved and Edward brushed it away from her face with gentle fingers, his eyes caressing the shape of her cheek as his fingers brushed at her soft skin.

And so, their night passed.

– – –

"Hi, honey," Bella greeted him, her smile big as she turned towards him.

"Hello, love," Edward replied before bending down to meet her lips in a quick kiss. She was standing by the stove, and the bubbling pot in front of her held her focus. "What are you making?"

"Left-over chicken stew."

"Sounds good; smells delicious too," he said, burrowing his nose in her neck as his arms wrapped around her. "How was your day? Did you finish the project you were talking about?"

"I did indeed," the happiness in her voice was palpable, "and Mike leaves tomorrow."

"I'm glad to hear it." And Edward was; though he'd had no worries about Bella's love and her commitment to him, until the day she'd finally accepted his proposal the week before, part of him had still worried that she would find someone else. Even if she wouldn't have left him for Mike; Mike, who had made no secret of being interested in Bella when he first came into town to help the company Bella worked for with a project she was in charge of. Edward was glad to see him gone.

"The food should be done soon," Bella said, "mind setting the table?"

"Not at all." He gave her another kiss on the neck before turning to their table; the table that was already laden with utensils and plates in a heap; the table where just last night they had enjoyed an intimate moment after sneaking ice-cream from the freezer. Bella had gotten cold and Edward had delighted in warming her up. Since she'd moved in, they had "settled down" and as a result, their sex-life was now mostly confined to their bedroom, so a romantic interlude on the kitchen table had been just what they needed.

The table set, they sat down to eat.

"How was your day?" Bella asked as she served herself rice.

"Not as good as yours," they shared a smile, "but I do have news as well."

The teasing tone of his voice made Bella pause, her eyebrow raised as she waited.

"Aro is sending me to Vegas."

"Alone?" Horrifying images of Edward and Tanya enjoying the Vegas nightlife flashed before her eyes in the seconds before he answered.

"No, Felix is coming too."

"So you will basically be alone," Bella said, knowing what type of work ethic Felix had. As the CEO's son, he had a lot of leeway and he took advantage of every inch.

"No kidding. This is good," Edward motioned to his plate. "It reminds me of something mom used to make."

"I got the recipe from her, though I didn't follow it exactly."

They were quiet for a moment as they enjoyed their meal and company.

"When are you leaving? For Vegas."

"March the 26th. I was kind of hoping you would go with me."

"I would like that, but I'm not sure if –"

"You just finished a major project, and you have a lot of vacation time. I will be working for most of the week, but you could come out over the weekend and then we could stay for a few days, just us." He knew she wanted to but that her sense of obligation to her boss held her back, so he used his trump card. "We would be away for April 1st." He looked at her pointedly.

"He promised after last year," Bella said.

"Yeah, just like he promised the year before that and the year before that," Edward reminded her. "Just think about it. We haven't had a vacation together in far too long."

"If Angela says it's ok, then yes, I will go."

"You know she's not going to say no." Edward smiled wildly; certain he'd won her over.

"You are probably right."

Edward reached over the table and took her hand, his thumb grazing over the jewels adorning her engagement ring. "I can't wait."

Bella smiled gently back at him, not saying anything. She understood the underlying meaning of his words and though a large part of her couldn't wait to be his wife, the fear of the institution still prevented her from being as excited at the idea as he was.

So she smiled, and they continued to eat their dinner.

– – –

They drove down the brightly lit street on their way from the airport, passing by chapel upon chapel. Edward's eyes were focused on the road in front of them but Bella, who stared out through the window of the rented car at the bright lights and the mess of activity that filled the city, even so late at night, saw them all.

"Edward," she said suddenly. "I have an idea." She turned towards him and watched his profile. "For April Fools."

"What's that?" he shot her a quick look. "We don't do April Fools, Bella," he reminded her. As a child, he'd enjoyed causing harmless mischief with his brother, but since the year Emmett had played Edward and Bella against each other at a delicate turn in their newfound relationship, resulting in them breaking up for over two weeks, Edward had done his best to stay well away from the whole thing, as much as Emmett would allow. With age, the jokes had fortunately begun to dwindle, but his older brother still persisted on the first of April, despite Edward begging him not to.

"I know, but we just _have_ to do it." Bella paused for a moment, making sure she had his full attention. "We're going to get married."

Edward nearly crashed the car. "_What_?" he gasped out, his heart thundering. He'd made it clear to her nearly from day one that he wanted to marry her, and after a long and painful battle, she'd only just agreed to wear his ring and marry him _one day_. He'd not expected her to be ready so quickly.

"Emmett would just die! He'll never try and prank either of us again."

Edward frowned, glancing at her, his heart beating wildly in his chest. "Rewind, I think I missed something important there," he said.

"We're in Las Vegas, Edward. We can dress up, go to one of the many chapels, take smiling pictures and then post them on Facebook and pretend they're the real thing; that we actually got married. It'd be the best joke ever!" Bella grinned up at him.

Edward's heart fell. "You mean we're just going to pretend that we got married?"

"Well yeah," Bella replied, her smile dimming. "Alice would kill us both if we got married without giving her the chance to plan everything, not to mention how hurt our parents would be if we eloped."

Edward pulled into the parking lot of their hotel. "Right," he agreed. "It would be a good joke." His voice sounded flat to his own ears and he wondered how she didn't notice.

"The best joke," Bella corrected. "No one will _ever_ be able to top it."

He was disappointed, but he swallowed it down and tried to look on the positive; if she allowed herself to be put in a wedding situation with him, she would see that it wasn't so bad and be ready to go through the ceremony for real all the sooner.

Edward carried her bags through the lobby for her, and as soon as the doors of the elevator closed, he dropped them on the carpeted floor and pressed his lips hungrily against hers as he pushed her body up against the nearest wall. She was surprised at his sudden attack, but eagerly reciprocated.

Their lips didn't separate until they were on their floor, where Edward led her by the hand to their hotel room.

– – –

"You look beautiful."

Edward's voice was soft and loving, and Bella looked up at him, her smile fading into a look of uncertainty as she saw the contentment in his eyes as he watched her.

She was a cruel person – most particularly to the man she loved; the man who loved her. This was a man who wanted to marry her, warts and all. And how did she react? She turned him down, made excuses for why she wasn't ready to move in together, then to become engaged. When she finally accepted his ring she turned around and devised a practical joke to play on his brother; a joke that she now realised hurt Edward far more than the momentary pain it might give Emmett by making him think he hadn't been invited.

The small collection of blue flowers Edward had gotten her from a street vendor as a surprise fell to the ground as Bella threw herself into his arms. She twisted her fingers into his hair and pressed her lips against his desperately.

Edward's surprise lasted but a moment before he returned the passionate kiss with equal force. When she pulled away to suck much needed air into her lugs, he leaned his forehead against hers, smiling down as he cupped her blushing cheeks in his large hands.

"Let's do it," Bella whispered.

Edward nodded. "I've talked to the-"

"No," Bella interrupted. "Let's do it for real."

Edward blinked. "You mean-?" he breathed, leaving the question unfinished for fear of his voice breaking.

"Let's get married. Right now."

"Are you sure?" Edward swallowed down his joy, needing the reassurance. "Alice will-"

"Alice will get over it."

Edward pulled back and gave her a doubtful look.

"_Eventually_," Bella hedged with a smile. "But it doesn't matter. Just you and me, that's what matters," She kissed him gently. "I want to be your wife."

Edward claimed her lips in a searing kiss. "Let's go." He took her hand, scooped up the flowers she'd dropped and pulled her towards the small chapel they'd selected earlier in the day.

Bella laughed as she followed, hurrying along down the street. "Don't we need rings?"

"We have rings." Edward opened the door for Bella to stop through in front of him.

"We do?" Bella asked, looking at him. "Since when?"

"A while," Edward revealed, almost reluctantly. "Now hurry up and let's get married before you change your mind."

They approached the counter and Edward gave the bored woman sitting behind it his name.

"Right," she said, looking at the open ledger in front of her. "The couple who wanted to pretend to have gotten married."

"Actually no," Edward said, his smile so bright it was blinding. "We decided to do it for real."

The heavily made-up receptionist didn't even blink as she handed them a form. "You need to fill this out, sign it in all the right places and bring it with you. The Reverend will be with you in just a minute, just step through those doors." She motioned with a long red plastic nail towards a decorated archway from which Elvis could be heard. "You're number fourteen. That'll be twenty dollars; we only take cash and we do not validate parking."

Edward handed the flowers back to Bella to pay the woman, his smile not dimming despite her lack-lustre attitude towards their impending marriage.

"You can pick up your signed marriage license here after you're done. Congratulations on your forthcoming nuptials," she finished with a bored voice, going back to filing her nails before they'd even left the room.

Hand-in-hand, they walked through the archway and entered the room used as the chapel, grinning at each other when they noticed the Reverend was an Elvis impersonator; it was the Vegas cliché and it was perfect.

They sat down together in the back, so as not to disturb the not entirely sober union taking place at the front of the room. Bella leaned her head against Edward's shoulder, calmer than she thought she would be this close to marriage. He put his arm around her, enjoying the moment.

"Fitting, don't you think?" Bella whispered.

Edward nodded, remembering the first time they'd met; Elvis had been blaring out of the speakers of a nostalgic café in downtown Seattle. Bella had tripped on the sidewalk on her way home from University and Edward, who'd been passing by from the other direction, had caught her and prevented her from falling. He'd introduced himself in the same breath he'd asked her out, and the café had become the scene of their first, rather impromptu, date where they drank soda and talked while Bella glued her heel back to her shoe. It had been a favourite eatery of theirs ever since.

"Another Mister and Missus are now ready to leave the building, thanks to your one and only King," the fake Elvis called. "Number thirteen, you're up!"

"So," Bella glanced up at Edward's profile as she played with the petals of the delicate flowers in her clasp, "the rings?"

"Ah," Edward reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. From the coin slot, he extracted two matching bands; white gold, shining and smooth without any added decorations.

Bella loved them and quickly assured Edward as much.

"When did you get them?" she asked, touching the larger of the two bands with the tip of her finger as it rested in the palm of his hand.

"When you moved in," Edward admitted after a moment.

Bella leaned back to look at him fully and their eyes met. "I moved in seven months ago."

Edward's lips crooked in her favourite grin. He didn't offer a word of explanation and for a few moments the two sat, watching each other in silence; only the words of the Reverend Elvis and the not wholly appropriate tunes of _Hound Dog_ played in the background of the ancient stereo disturbing the quiet.

Bella leaned into him and kissed him gently, so softly that if Edward hadn't leaned into her to respond, he would barely have felt the brush of her lips against hers.

"I love you," she said, whispered the words against his mouth.

"And I love you."

Caressing his cheek with the back of her hand, she asked, "Why did you bring them?"

Edward's lips crooked in another half grin. "I've been carrying them around with me ever since I got them. For luck, you might say. Besides, I didn't want to risk you finding them."

Bella smiled and kissed him again.

"And number fourteen, you're on, come up here," Elvis called from the front of the room.

Bella and Edward stood; their rings at the ready and their fingers twisted together tightly as they walked down the aisle.

The song changed as they stopped in front of their officiator and turned towards each to her for the short ceremony. The smiles on both of their faces grew as the first strands of _Can't Help Falling In Love_ began to play; the very same song that'd played as they'd first laid eyes on each other, so long ago now.

"Fate," Edward murmured, squeezing Bella's hand gently with his own.

The ceremony passed quickly. They said their I do's, thread the rings onto the proper fingers, promised to love each other forever, shared their first kiss as husband and wife and posed for a quick photo all within ten minutes.

On their way back down the aisle, they passed couple number fifteen, both of them drunk, but neither noticed.

"So, Mrs. Cullen," Edward said, his smile bright, "do you want to get some food first, or will you allow me to escort you back to the hotel?"

Bella laughed. "We've not really tried out the room service yet, have we?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him as she grinned.

Edward leaned down and kissed her under the archway separating the chapel from the reception. "You've made me so happy," he whispered.

"I hope I will continue to do so," Bella whispered back.

"I have no doubts that you will."

Twinning his fingers back through hers, they walked back up to the reception to get their marriage license stamped and approved.

"I can't believe we got married on April first," Bella said as they stepped through the doors and back onto the street, where not quite the same world kept on turning.

"I can't believe you were the one who suggested it in the first place," Edward returned.

They kissed, until Bella pulled back with a frown.

"You know what this means though, don't you?"

"We're going to catch hell from Alice?"

"No, well, yes that too, but it means we're going to have to come up with another April Fool's joke."

"Hmm," Edward kissed her.

"Maybe next year."

**The End**

**Happy April Fool's Day!  
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